14 awesome career choices most college kids wouldn't think of

For many students, a college degree puts you on the direct path to a certain career, such as a doctor, teacher, or journalist.

But for many others, the future isn't as clear-cut.

Maybe you want to go to med school, but don't necessarily want to be a doctor. Maybe you love maps, but aren't sure how to incorporate that passion into a career. Or perhaps you just haven't found anything that sounds appealing yet.

Luckily, there are tons of great career options out there that many college kids have no idea even exist. In this helpful thread, Reddit users shared some of these under-the-radar occupations that most students probably haven't heard of. And they pay fairly well, too.

Here are 14 of our favorites, including salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, for those who need some inspiration finding their dream job:

Air traffic controller

"After school and training it pays an average of 100k a year, but there is an age limit to get accepted." —Kate1320

"My father is an ATC at Pearson. 200k a year with brilliant benefits. He provided a great quality of life for my family." —1stOnRT1

Mining engineer

REUTERS/Pav Jordan

Average annual salary: $107,880

"It can be cyclical (bit of a miner lull right now in my specific resource/location right now) but on a good year it is white hot. I signed on to a $100k salary (plus bonus and benefits) straight out of my bachelors degree at 23 for a job that had me moving across the planet (Canada to Australia). The year I graduated we finished school in May and 80% of my graduating class had jobs lined up already and the remainder found jobs by the end of July.

"I was on the higher end for salaries (most making about $80k) There's worldwide options especially if you get educated in a Western University. Mining Engineers in the US make a little less (~$65k) but for the amount of people working for $30k on masters degrees in other industries, you can't really complain. You do have to be willing to live in remote areas." —truffleshufflegoonie

Anesthesiology assistant

"You have to do a premed track in undergrad, but then go to a two-year masters program which has 100% job placement and the average starting salary is about 120k. I never knew about it as an undergrad and wasted a few years getting another masters in an unrelated field." —parallax1

*Some salaries were not available from the BLS, so data for similar positions was used.

Physician assistant

"The short of it is a two to two and half year long post-grad program, and then you're able to work in the industry with a comparatively high level of independence and earning six figures doing something that results in one feeling as though they're making some sort of difference.

"It's not an easy way out, of course, but it's so much less commitment than medical school, and with the way med school costs are going, it's very possible that throughout the entirety of your career you can out-earn many doctors who don't specialize in a particularly expensive specialty. And this also comes with the ability to change specialties without going back to school." —You_Dont_Party

Hearing-aid practitioner/Audiologist

"Jobs jobs everywhere. Same goes for speech pathologists. Requires a grad degree and a lot of clinic hours, state certification, but the pay is great and jobs are plentiful. Work is rewarding too, helping people communicate who otherwise couldn't is pretty rad." —PaleoVision

Internal auditor

"Large companies have management training rotations in audit because of the risk/controls knowledge you get and the broad understanding of processes, so it's definitely a good track to leadership. I also find it financially rewarding. Six years out of undergrad, over $100k a year." —Xomegaalpha

Technical writer

"It's an interesting an exciting field for people with diverse backgrounds (everything from a liberal arts degree to engineering)." —Anonymous

"If you say get onto the back end of a high technology firm writing manuals for the operation of there equipment, you will be exposed to some of the latest and greatest that technology has to offer." —WilliamOfOrange

Dental hygienist

Boston Globe/Contributor/Getty Images

Average annual salary: $72,720

"I'm starting dental hygiene school in the fall and I would have never looked into it while in college. It's only after I graduated and realized that I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do that I started seriously doing some research. Most dental hygiene programs only require a certain amount of prerequisite courses and a standardized test score for admission. Most are also bachelors degree programs as well, so mom and dad are pleased and you're spending the minimal amount of time you would earning a traditional university/college degree. Plus, salary starts at 50-60k a year with ridiculous benefits, at least in my area. Dentists treat their hygienists well!" —WinnifredBurkle

Industrial designer

"As a career, industrial design is a great fusion of art and engineering. The problems are challenging, the work is varied and creative, and design consultancies have some of the best work environments and cultures you could ask for. And at the core of it all, you're tasked with answering the question, 'What sort of future do we want to live in?' Design is so much more than making things shiny." —Grizzleyt

Geomatic engineer/Land surveyor

"Most surveyors are old. For instance, the average age of a surveyor in the state of California is in the mid to late fifties, which means you will definitely get a job out of college and you can quickly work your way up to a decent six figure income once you get your professional license." —TheGeomatician

"Yes. Definitely yes. My dad actually worked for a surveyor for a while and has done surveying off and on as a technician. Made a livable income for someone who dropped out of college after a semester and funded a very heavy smoking habit. I've considered getting a side job with a surveyor in a year or two since part of my current degree involves Geographic Information Systems." —da_asparagus

*Some salaries were not available from the BLS, so data for similar positions was used.

Hospital technology repairer

"My brother in law works for a medical repair company. He made 55k starting, 15 an hour during the internship, and owned his own house at 23. They fly him around for free whenever someone out of state calls." —CurioustoaFault

"As a former biomed technician, I can confirm that it's a very solid industry to get in on. Medical equipment (even on the smaller scale, infusion pumps, defibrillators, and portable suction machines) are ridiculously overpriced, and with this comes huge maintenance prices too. I remember one week in particular, our team of four technicians working on a particular job billed $35,000+ for our company simply doing routine checks on certain equipment in one of the nearby hospitals." —Bananaman_lives

Court stenographer

Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Average annual salary: $54,720

"It's a three-year program (on average — took me four to finish), but if you're proficient in grammar, have strong language skills, have solid finger dexterity from playing an instrument or video games, and are able to work independently, it's an incredible career.

"You work from home most of the time, lawyers very rarely schedule depositions before 10:00 am, you can make your own schedule, and the pay is great. Your pay reflects how hard you want to work and the jobs you're getting, but I made 65k my first year and nearly 80k my second." —Bad_Karma21

Tower technician

"I've been doing this for a few years and I'll pull in roughly 60 to 70k this year. It's great if you like working outdoors, like heights, and enjoy traveling. It's hard to get bored when you're in a new town every week working with guys who have your back. The cool thing is you don't need a college degree, or any kind of education (Personally, I have my Bachelors in an unrelated field)." —IClimbStuff

Funeral director

"My friends whole family are morticians and funeral directors. Not one of them makes less than $50k. One of them finished mortician science school at 20 and started making $60k as an apprentice and in a couple years he'll be a full blown embalmer making twice that." —Austronano